In the life of every journalist, there are special experiences. For me, the 20-day, night voyage through the islands of the Truong Sa archipelago at the end of 2022 is the most sacred and profound memory. There, I experienced the emotional feelings of a Vietnamese son who first touched the most remote part of the sea and islands of the Fatherland; understood and shared the stories of the brave and resilient navy soldiers who guarded the border day and night amidst thousands of storms...
Reporters took advantage of the opportunity to work before boarding the boat to the island.
Experience the "specialty" of seasickness
Before the trip, many people advised me not to go to Truong Sa at the end of the year because the sea was rough and the waves were big, which would be very difficult. However, for me, being on the list of journalists participating in this working trip was a great honor and absolutely could not be missed.
Arranging work and family neatly, I arrived at Cam Ranh International Airport, Khanh Hoa Province as planned by the Navy Region 4 Command. In addition to the thoughtful reception activities at the Navy Truong Sa Hotel, the Organizing Committee conducted COVID-19 tests for us several times to ensure the safety of the working delegation, the soldiers, and especially the soldiers and civilians on duty and living on the islands of the Truong Sa archipelago.
Honestly, at that time, I, like many other reporters, was extremely worried, because if I were to test positive for COVID, my "Truong Sa dream" would have to be put on hold. Then came the day I could board the ship and set sail. I was assigned to go on the Fisheries Surveillance Ship 490, heading to the islands north of the Truong Sa archipelago, including: Song Tu Tay, Da Nam, Sinh Ton Dong, Co Lin, Len Dao and Sinh Ton.
At Cam Ranh military port, after the farewell ceremony, the ships simultaneously sounded their horns three times to say goodbye to the mainland and then weighed anchor and left the port. While standing on the deck waving goodbye to the mainland, I was lucky to meet three soldiers from Ninh Binh who were going to Truong Sa to receive their mission this time. They were all young men of eighteen or twenty, away from their families and the mainland for the first time, with some anxiety in their hearts, but they always affirmed their determination to live up to the name of Ninh Binh's children, striving to fulfill their mission well, firmly protecting their homeland's sea and islands.
Just as I had time to interview, film, and record those emotional faces and send them to the editorial office, the phone signal was cut off, and all around the ship was now just vast waves. Darkness fell, and the ship kept rocking and swaying.
The first dinner on the ship, the group of reporters from news agencies and newspapers had nearly 50 people but more than half were missing due to seasickness. At first I was enthusiastic but then my face turned pale, I left half a bowl of rice and returned to my room. Lying flat on the bed, eyes closed, I could still hear the sound of furniture being pushed against each other repeatedly, then the radio from the command deck "Attention to the entire ship, due to the conditions of high waves and strong winds, all members of the group are required to absolutely not go out on the deck, limit movement, and lower the furniture. Any soldiers who are seasick and cannot eat rice, please report porridge so the kitchen can prepare...".
Having gone through seasickness, I understand more clearly the endurance, difficulties, hardships and challenges that naval officers, soldiers and those on duty in the Truong Sa Islands had to overcome.
Full of emotions
After two days at sea, everyone was delighted to hear the sound of the anchor being dropped followed by cheerful radio music: "Dear guests on board, dear comrades, after many hours of cutting through the blue waves, traveling hundreds of nautical miles, the ship has brought us to the Song Tu Tay island area. The island is 308 nautical miles from Cam Ranh peninsula, the island is oval-shaped, about 700 meters long...". At that moment, everyone seemed to wake up, hurriedly pulling each other up to the deck to witness with their own eyes, recording pictures of the beloved island on their first visit.
However, the joy only lasted for a moment, soon after that, dark clouds rolled in, the sea was rough... In the end, we had to wait on the ship for 5 days before we could move to the Van Hoa ship to go to Song Tu Tay. Moving from the ship to the canoe and then to the island and vice versa was very difficult for the reporters. The big waves, the difference in height between the ship, the canoe and the pier constantly fluctuated with a large distance, making it very dangerous to get on and off the canoe and ship, just walking slowly or not decisively, missing a step could cause injury and fall into the sea. Only then did we know how difficult the road to the sacred islands at the head of the waves was. Because the time we stayed on the islands was very short, we reporters took advantage of every second and minute to record, interview, learn about the history of the struggle, protection of sovereignty and the lives and work process of the soldiers.
Taking souvenir photos on the train with young soldiers from Ninh Binh.
During this business trip, I met many Ninh Binh people who are silently contributing to the protection of the sovereignty and security of the sea border every day, such as: Captain Dao Duc Tam, from Khanh Cu commune, Yen Khanh district. Born in 1990, with 14 years in the army, Tam has been assigned to remote islands 3 times and celebrated 2 Tet holidays away from home. Or Mr. Nguyen Van Hau, currently working at the Sinh Ton Island Technical Logistics Service Center, from Gia Tan commune, Gia Vien district, has also celebrated 4 Tet holidays on the island.
The most touching moment was when I went to Colin Island and met Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Phi from Yen Tu Commune, Yen Mo District. He said that in 2021, when he had just boarded the ship to the island to perform his duty, he was informed at home that his father had passed away, there was no way to return for the funeral, and until now he still has not been able to return to burn incense for his father...
If I had not been to Truong Sa, had not penetrated the reality, had directly met the people who day and night devoted themselves to the sea, to the islands at the forefront of the waves and winds, I would never have been able to fully appreciate the sacrifices of the navy, never have been able to imagine the great efforts they have contributed and devoted to the peace of the Fatherland, to the independence and sovereignty of the sea and islands of the homeland. Thanks to them, Truong Sa is changing every day, becoming greener, more spacious, more modern and more stable.
Working in Truong Sa - the place where the waves and winds of the Fatherland are at their peak left me with strangely sacred emotions. Until now, I still remember clearly the moment when I waved goodbye to the soldiers on the islands, the emotional moment at the Memorial Ceremony for the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives in Truong Sa and the moment I sang the National Anthem at the first flag-raising ceremony of the new year 2023 on Sinh Ton Island,...
Now, every time I think back, I feel like I have been given new energy to always be aware of doing my job well as well as to appreciate and love my chosen profession more.
Article and photos: Nguyen Luu
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